A RAUCOUS, TRIPPY RIDE | The Parokya ni Edgar musical is an otherworldly experience

Everything about ‘Buruguduystunstugudunstuy’ is wonderful in a festive, fantastical vein, though only the hip will probably laugh out loud upon hearing the line, ‘4:20 na!’

For boomers, the best way to enjoy and appreciate the Parokya ni Edgar (PNE) musical Buruguduystunstugudunstuy is to first indulge in herbal delights, or remember the times spent with friends tripping on psychedelics.

But for the rest of the theater audience, all it takes is an open mind to make sense of the otherworldly plot that drives the musical into high gear.

Four women—scavenger Jen (Marynor Madamesila), high school student Aiza (Kyle Napuli), security guard Girlie (Natasha Cabrera), and matron Norma (Tex Ordoñez de Leon)—rant about their life problems and discover they all have the same birthday, December 6.

A mysterious drumbeat (that’s how the show’s title, straight from PNE’s second album, sounds) catches their attention, drawing them together towards a portalet which—like the rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland—serves as the women’s entry into the strange new world of Parokyaverse.

Jen transforms into a techno creature, Aiza a mermaid, Norma an aswang, though Girlie remains a lady guard. But life turns upside down for them as they meet the Bigotilyos led by Mr. Suave (Pepe Herrera). 

Playwright Rody Vera uses the women’s metamorphosis to illustrate humanity’s preoccupation with desire, greed and evil—with endless doses of humor through the songs of PNE. 

Vera succeeds, with director Dexter Santos, in accomplishing the difficult task of fusing the good-natured, often hilarious tunes (“Don’t Touch My Birdie” among the show’s 27 tracks) with the plot’s insightful moments. 

One of the musical’s highlights, in which Girlie comes to terms with her sexuality, has Vera tweaking the track “This Guy’s in Love with You, Pare.”

The four women—all with rich theater experience—shine in their roles, especially Cabrera as a lesbian, and De Leon as a grumpy middle-ager whose aswang alter ego gets to devour Mr. Suave’s innards, just as the latter is on the verge of pursuing her with romantic notions. 

Everything about the musical is wonderful in a festive, fantastical vein, though only the hip will probably laugh out loud upon hearing the line, “4:20 na!”

The production is said to have reached a stratospheric budget due to the lavish sets and technical requirements, which Newport World Resorts can hopefully recoup in time. 

All told, Buruguduystunstugudunstuy is one hell of a raucous ride from selfish desire to humbling self-realization.

Buruguduystunstugudunstuy runs till June 8 at the Newport Performing Arts Theater.